Structured+Choice+Assignments

Language and Prejudice

Create: Activity that Engages Adolescents in Thinking about Language

 To stimulate a class of high school students to begin thinking seriously about language, I would suggest a group debating activity. Assuming there are twenty students in the class, the students would be divided into five groups of four, and each group would choose a question to address in a debate. At the end, each group would present both sides of the argument to class.

 The groups would be allowed to choose their topics from a list of questions. For instance, groups might want to address questions such as, "Should a surgeon be allowed to express him/herself in Ebonics while operating?" "Should it be considered socially acceptable for Latinos to use the word 'nigga,' as opposed to whites and Asians, especially since there was slavery in Latin America?" "Should the words, 'under God,' be included in the U.S. pledge of allegiance?" "Is it ever acceptable to use the n-word?" "Are there ways in which using the n-word has empowered, rather than oppressed, African-Americans?" There are other questions involving gender politics which may also be fascinating to discuss. "Does it do a disservice to women that we use the word 'history' rather than, say, 'herstory'?" "Are women disempowered by words such as 'mankind' as opposed to 'humankind'?" "Anonymous third parties are usually to referred to as 'he' or 'him' rather than 'she' or 'her.' Does this serve to oppress women?" "How have women been excluded from the rhetorical tradition?" "How have non-English speaking minorities been excluded from the rhetorical tradition?" And so on.

 The class would spend one class session debating amongst themselves and another preparing their presentations. Each group would speak for 8-10 minutes.

Language and Policy

Create: Assignment for a classroom debate that engages students in research, writing, and speaking about issues of language and policy

Assignment: Research Paper and Class Debate

 Students will choose a country with a national language and research the impact this piece of legislation has had on its people in their society today. They will pay attention to issues of censorship, treatment of immigrants, bigotry and its relation to the national language, and will discuss how their country differs from America in these respects. They will write a three-page paper discussing what they've learned about their country and its language policies and debate whether the U.S. would benefit from having a national language. Once the papers are written, the students will decide whether they think the U.S. should have a national language. The class will then be broken into groups, and each group will prepare an argument to present to the class. All students in each group will speak, incorporating information they've learned from their research. Each presentations should be at least 15 minutes long.

Language and Policy

Create: Assignment for a classroom debate that engages students in research, writing, and speaking about issues of language and policy

Language in the Classroom:

Apply & Write: Blog Post on Teaching //Huckleberry Finn//

 I think it is important to teach controversial works of literature such as //Huckleberry Finn// with sensitivity and maturity, as opposed to not teaching them at all. Many people are offended by the glorification of a pedophile but we haven't stopped teaching //Lolita.// I think teaching Twain's novel offers students a healthy way to confront the power of the n-word and the role it has played in history rather than pretending that what one already knows about the subject is all one needs to know. Twain's novel provides readers with a view of American history which a contemporary novelist couldn't possibly create. Twain was also a great humorist, and to read the various ways in which he utilizes the n-word shows not merely all the areas of American life in which it was used, and how it was used in them; it shows the many shades of meaning the word possessed. It provides us with a framework to see how that word has evolved, and how America has evolved along with it. Being able to confront this racial taboo should prove to be a unifying force in the classroom, as students will openly and safely discuss a topic which many of them probably fear. Many parents, and students, may protest the teaching of the novel, as many did the teaching of evolution. However, it is best not to live with our heads in the sand.

Language and Policy

Do & Reflect: Research additional perspectives on the “English as Official Language” debate. What are the main arguments?

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> Having researched the "English as Official Language debate," I find that the main arguments for making English the U.S. national language are that learning English will help immigrants succeed in school and in the work force. English speakers will be paid more and have will an easier time gaining a desirable social status in America. It will give immigrants more potential to earn money in their careers and will provide them with more options in their professional lives. The majority of Americans polled voted in favor of making English the U.S. national language. Learning English is also a prerequisite for U.S. citizenship.

The arguments against making English the U.S. national language emphasize America's dedication to diversity and multiculturalism and caution that having a national language would be disrespectful to immigrants, along with America's immigrant heritage, and contradict America's core values. Many argue that the government will be less able to accommodate and communicate with all of its citizens if English is the national language. America has too many hardworking immigrants, many argue, who aren't yet proficient in English and would be shortchanged by this assumption that they should suddenly learn the language in an instant. The government has to communicate with all of its citizens when there is a natural disaster or political catastrophe. In this respect, some frame the debate as a health issue. Lastly, many argue that if English becomes the U.S. national language, America's respect for its immigrant heritage will be forfeited. For centuries, immigrants have worked hard to make this nation what it is today and create better lives for their families. By this logic, making English the national language would be insensitive to their American dreams and would cause ethnic tensions in this multicultural country.

The one argument I find most compelling, which I haven't encountered in my research, has to do with the qualities intrinsic to certain languages. Many scholars say that German is the best scientific language. I wonder what the academic fields are in which English-speakers will have an advantage. If English is a more precise scientific language than the ones which might replace it, I would advocate we stick with English. There are too many extremely high-achieving speakers of English for me to think the qualities intrinsic to it have nothing to do with their success.

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Language in the Classroom

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Do & Reflect: Research the use of the “N” word, both in literature and in society. What did you learn about the use of this word?

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> Having researched the use of the "N" word, both in literature and in society, I learned that this word was used for hundreds of years as a way to oppress blacks people and that, although it still is in some quarters, African-Americans and Latinos have transformed the meaning of this word into a term of endearment. It is a word which, when pronounced with an "er" at the end, the traditional Caucasian pronunciation, is considered a horrible racial epithet. When pronounced with an "a" at the end, however, the traditional African-American and Latino pronunciation, it becomes a different word entirely, although it still can't be uttered by anyone other than African-Americans and Latinos without it causing offense and indignation.

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> The "N" word, ending with an "a," is frequently used to describe all kinds of people, especially in rap music. It is a word with a flexible meaning, and the tone with which it is used can determine its meaning. It can be applied to people of all races as either an insult or a term of endearment. "My n---a," is way of saying, "My friend." Chris Rock has a routine in which he repeats, "I love black people but I can't stand ns," which suggests the latter has more to do with a way of behaving, a culture, than with a whole race of people. The "N" word is probably the only word in the English language that is so divisive that the light-skinned majority in this country is afraid to say it in public, regardless of whether they would want to.

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> I think the meaning of this word will continue to evolve. In New York City in the Nineties, a lot of white teenagers used it alongside their African-American friends without batting an eyelash. The only movie I know that captures that brief epoch is Larry Clark's //Kids//. I think we are more politically correct today than we were two decades ago. Today, it would be unheard of for Caucasian teenagers to speak the way they did in that movie, even though none of their peers were offended by it. To the contrary, it was encouraged. I'm fascinated to see how this word will change meaning as race relations continue to evolve.

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Language and Prejudice

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Do & Reflect: Subjective Reaction Scale

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> I found it relatively easy to ascribe job titles to various statements as I filled out the subjective reaction scale. I thought that somebody who expressed him/herself with precision and could make distinctions with clarity would qualify as a communications director, which I ascribed to statements 1., 7., 15., 20., 22., and 24. Somebody who used proper grammar would qualify as an office worker, which I ascribed to statements 3., 10., 13., 18., and 21. I think a salesperson should have a simple, fast, and distinctive way of speaking that immediately grabs the attention, and since I didn't see a statement that fit that description, in my opinion, I didn't ascribe the letter C. to any of the statements. I think a factory supervisor should have a markedly authoritative manner of speech, and since I didn't identify that quality in any of the statements, I also didn't use the letter D. Since it isn't important for many factory workers to speak with much precision or grammatical aplomb, I ascribed the letter E. to statements 2., 4., 5., 6., 9., 11., 12., 16., 17., 19., 23., and 25., most of which represent a colloquial style of speech. I think these candidates would benefit from some code-switching exercises. Lastly, I ascribed the letter F. to statements 8. and 14. because those statements were political, and I think political comments are usually inappropriate in the work place.